Battlehorn Castle: The Adventures of Bobshadow
by Bobshadow
Summary: A story from the Bob-shadow adventures! Battlehorn Castle is going through some new times and brought into a new era when a stanger khajiit saves them and becomes thier new master. Will this bring a new era of triumph or will it lead to thier doom?
1. Chapter 1: The New Master

Battlehorn Castle

The Adventures of Bob-shadow

Chapter 1: The New Master

From the view point of: Castellan Athon

My name is Athon. I am the castellan of Battlehorn castle. My men and I have been living here for a long time, and I feared that our time was coming to an end. Marauders descended from the mountains to attack the castle, from the west. Our master, Lord Kelvyn, gave us a speech before the attack that filled all of us with hope that we could destroy our enemy. We were all ready for this attack, and Kelvyn ordered the gateman to open the gate. The marauders ran in, and Kelvyn led the attack. Unfortunately, he was the first one of us to fall. Right in the gateway.

That put me in charge. I was to command the men until we found a new master. I quickly ordered the men to retreat as soon as I saw Kelvyn fall. Blood stained where he lay, and we retreated to the rooftops. A few of our men didn't make it back fast enough though. Eventually, the marauders took control of the gate and the courtyard, and we were restrained to the castle.

"Sir," one of my men said. "They're all moving to the gate, we can get to the courtyard, and take control of the rooftops again."

"Good." I replied. "That's a good advantage." We needed to move somewhere. We weren't doing anything. I looked around for one of my men I knew who would be able to do the job right. Sure enough, he was hiding. But right as I was about to call his name, the he was next to me.

He was Battlehorn's personal master assassin. He looked just like the rest of us, but he was a sneaky sort. Some say he snuck past an army in broad daylight. But that's only a rumor and I don't know if it's true.

"Can I be of assistance?" he asked in a low tone.

"Yea," I responded. "Can you clear out whoever is on the courtyard stairs to the rooftops so we can get there?"

"Yes, sir." He assured in a creepy tone. He opened the door silently, and he was gone. Our scout was peeping through the door to watch his progress.

Knowing this could take a few minutes, I sat down for a moment to rest. I looked over at the scout, who was sweating and trembling. He was still shaken from the attack, and awaiting the next move. He let a sign, and came over to give me a report.

"Sir," he began. He said that like he was bearing bad news. I figured he was dead, and we were out of luck.

"It's ok soldier," I began. "We can still charge right to the-"

"He's done. The passage is clear." He said. I was shocked, but rejuvenated at the same time. I stood up and called to the men our next orders.

"Alright men," I said sternly but quiet. "The passage is clear, and we need to sneak to the rooftops. From there, we can get what's left of the marauders with a sneak attack. Let's move out."

And with that, we all started to get to the rooftops. I saw the assassin up there, calling us with a signal. We finally made it up, and the men found a hiding place. Most of them took positions in the gate house.

"Sir!" one man said silently but frantic. "They've spotted us! They're making their way up now!"

"That's it!" I said. "We're all doomed!" I could hear marauder screams and I heard swords clashing with our men in the gate house.

"HA HAH! DIE! YOU'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!" I heard marauders yell.

"Sir! Look! Over there! Coming up the road!" I heard one of my men yell. I turned to look and expected more marauders, but it's not what I saw.

Coming up the road was just one person. I couldn't tell exact details, but he was wearing a hood, and some sort of armor. He held a longsword in his right hand, and approached the castle. I was hoping he was on our side.

The next thing I heard was a Khajiit voice. I couldn't tell if it was one of the marauders or not, but I was trying to listen.

"What's going on here?" the Khajiit voice said. I guessed it was the man.

"Oy, we're going in to rob this castle! It's far enough where the guards won't notice us!" another voice said.

"So, you guys are…what? Bandits?" the voice asked.

"Marauders." A different voice replied. I rushed over to the side of the north tower so I could get a better look.

"That's all I need to know." The Khajiit voice replied. Suddenly, he lunged his sword forward into a marauder, and killed him. He spun around and killed another one to his left. This guy must've been quite the swordsman!

He spun around and engaged a fight with another one. They locked swords, and they looked evenly matched, but then he ducked for a second, and an arrow flew into the marauder, and he fell. Apparently another marauder from the roof on the other side of the tower I was next to was trying to shoot the khajiit.

The khajiit pulled a bow from his back and grabbed an arrow and shot it to the archer. I saw a fiery explosion from the other side, and wondered what kind of magic it was. The archer fell and died from the fall.

I was so struck in amazement, I didn't see a marauder come from the tower next to me and pull his sword ready. I quickly turned to see him, and he looked ready to finish me off.

"GET DOWN!" the khajiit yelled. I did as he said, and an arrow flew into the marauder in front of me. Another explosion, and I was hit with a little of the flames. Nothing I couldn't handle though.

It seemed silence had finally fallen at Battlehorn Castle. All my men cheered and we went down to the courtyard. I saw bodies of all kinds. Redguard, Imperial, Dark Elf, and a few Khajiits and Argonians. Some were my men, and some were marauders, but the battle was over, and that's what mattered.

I told my men to come back to the castle, but they all stood at the gate, looking to the outside. I wondered why for a moment, and then I remembered the khajiit! I was so thankful for the now ended battle, now I forgot about HIM. I rushed over to the gate and heard my men talking to him.

"So what kind of arrows are those?" One of my men asked.

"Arrows of Immolation," the khajiit answered. "They do a lot of fire damage for a small distance too. They come in handy."

"All right, stand aside men." I ordered, thinking the men were causing him trouble. "Sir, thank you very much for all the help. And I hope my men didn't disturb you any."

"Oh, no trouble at all." He replied in a raspy voice. "And I'm just glad the marauders are gone."

"Please, would you join us for dinner?" I asked him. I didn't know if it would be alright with him, but he looked as if he would work up an apatite.

"Actually, that would be very nice," he responded. "May I?"

"You heard him men," I barked. "Open the gates and let our guest in!"

"YES SIR!" my men replied, and the gate was open in no time at all.

I showed him the way into the east wing of the castle, and we all sat down for a feast. The cook brought in breads, tomatoes, grapes, wines, and all sorts of meats. We all had a seat and away we went. I looked up at the khajiit; he kept his hood on, and seemed like a sneaky kind of person.

But this was the first time I actually got a look at him. He had a black hood, hiding his khajiit fur, and had bright yellow eyes that glowed in the darkness that his hood cast. Another thing that surprised me was his armor. It was armor I had never seen before. It was a rust-like color, with what I could make out as faces all over it. It had spikes too. Lots of spikes.

He began to pick up an apple, but began cutting it with a knife. Then examining each piece. He looked very closely, and finally began eating it. He looked as if he was enjoying it quite well.

"What was that?" one of my men asked.

"I was examining for poison." He said. He frantically went to another sentence right after that. "It's not that I think you would poison me or anything! It's just a habit of mine, sorry."

"Wow, you must be a real adventurer, huh?" someone asked.

"You could say that, yes. It would explain a lot of the things I've done." The khajiit replied with a smile.

"Tell us about your armor!" Someone said with excitement. "How'd you get that?"

"Oh, well you are all aware of the Daedric Prince of Madness, Sheogorath?" he asked. A lot of them nodded in agreement, and that sentence caught my attention and I looked up. "This is custom made, from his very realm."

Several of my men gasped in astonishment, and clapped in excitement. I dropped my fork and the meat in my mouth. He was in the realm of a Daedric Prince! The Khajiit reached over to grab some rat meat like he didn't say anything too important.

"By the way, what's your name, sir?" I asked him. His yellow eyes looked over at me from the other side of the table. I saw his mouth move and heard the name 'Bob-shadow'. A silence fell after he said that, and I waited for someone to ask the question on my mind.

"How'd you get that name?" someone asked and broke the silence. That WAS what I was wondering at the same time.

"It was the name I was given from birth," he replied. "A lot of people say it fits me a little. But that's when they get to know me." He did seem like kind of a shadow, or an outcast. But he was brave and adventurous in my eyes still from the battle. The attention changed from our newcomer to a new topic I had almost forgotten.

"So who's going to be our new master, Athon?" someone asked. Everyone began to agree, curious to who would fill the position. I shifted my eyes at Bob-shadow, who was simply eating as if nothing was being said, while all the men sat on the edge of their seat waiting for my answer.

"Why not Bob-shadow?" I heard someone ask. "He saved the castle, and flew off the hoard of marauders. He's an adventurer type, he's cunning-."

"Quiet." I said, cutting off his rambling. Everyone looked like they agreed to that idea. But why did it only seem strange to ME? Khajiits and Argonians are the 'Beasts of Cyrodiil'. I could never see one of as a count, or a king, or much less as emperor! The idea never really occurred to me.

"Come on, Athon!" one of the men said. "Why can't he be the new master?"

The idea still fresh and strange in my mind, I blurted out the next thing in my mind to keep them quiet a little longer. It didn't help much.

"I-Is that all right with you, sir Bob?" I stuttered.

"It would be my absolute honor if I could, sir Athon." The khajiit bowed his head and replied.

I couldn't think of what to do. He still seemed very shifty to me. Could this cat really be our new master? Would he be able to bring Battlehorn Castle back to its former glory?

"Then men," I began. "I think we've found our new master." I smiled at the khajiit and he smiled back while the men stood and cheered. They clanged their mugs and drank till the night ended. I felt in my mind I finally made the right choice. I felt the beginning of a new era for Battlehorn Castle ready to begin.


	2. Chapter 2: Preparation

Battlehorn Castle

The Adventures of Bob-shadow

Chapter 2: Preparation

From the view point of: Castellan Athon

I didn't sleep well that night. I was still in shock that I went through with all that about Bob-shadow. At dinner last night, I actually let a Khajiit be lord of the castle. Hopefully the idea will sink in. I would've jumped to the idea right away if he was an Imperial, or a Breton, but this was a "Beast of Cyrodiil". I would let him stay for a while and see how it would go.

The men around the castle didn't seem to be bothered at all, and really liked Bob. He was as great as any adventurer to them, and they worshiped the ground he walked on. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate him, and I envy his achievements, but he's still suspicious. Ever since dinner last night though it's all the men could talk about. They showed him around all the rooms, all the hallways, and taught him our history.

I watched as Bob-shadow went into his private quarters. Nobody but him and his personal servant were allowed in there unless it was an emergency. He came out later very satisfied with the place. I was in the barracks (well not really barracks, more like soldier sleeping quarters) around lunch today, when suddenly he walked in. The men and I were making jokes and gossiping as we used to, but when he walked in, dead silent.

"Athon," he said in his raspy voice. "May I have a word with you?"

"O-of course, milord." I stood up immediately and followed him to the main entrance. He looked around for a moment, and turned back to me.

"I've decided I'm going to move all my belongings to this castle." He paused for a moment. "Currently, everything I own is in my house in Skingrad. You can tell this is going to be a long move, considering all I have from my travels."

"Yes sir," I said. "Will you require our assistance?"

"Oh, well possibly." He said surprised. "I was just informing you if I was missing for the next week or so, I was going to be moving my belongings here."

"I see." I responded. "You're sure you want to go alone? You don't require an escort, milord?"

"I think I'll be fine, Athon." He said. "Now I'm off to get the first batch of things. I'll be back…late tonight if I'm quick enough. Otherwise tomorrow morning for sure."

"Yes My lord." I said. He nodded and walked out the door. I went back to the barracks to see what the men were saying."

While I walked back, I was trying to imagine what things he had collected. Was he some hideous murderer who took his victims heads? Was he some sort of vampire who drinks blood? Was that why he hid under that hood? Maybe he was a daedra of some sort and was bringing back an army to wipe out the castle. I was worried out of my mind.

I stepped back into the barracks and the men looked up at me. They were probably curious to whether I was in trouble or not.

"So what did he say, Athon?" one of them asked.

"He's going back to collect his things from his Skingrad home and moving them here." I said. "He's moving in."

The men cheered that their new master was taking such a big move for them so soon. They went back to gossiping, and their first subject was going to be what I questioned myself. They pulled over the chair I was sitting in earlier and invited me to sit with them. I sat down and listened what they said.

"So what kind of things do you think he'll bring?" one asked.

"Maybe he'll bring more stuff from Sheogorath's realm!" another said excited.

"Or what if he brings some exotic enchanted items?" someone said.

"Or what if he isn't as we think." I spoke up and said. The men stared at me for a moment. They were in a shock I would say something against their new master. "What if he's some vicious murderer? Or a vampire?"

"Sir, if he was a murderer, do you think the guard would have him roaming around? He'd be in prison by now." One of my men said.

"I guess that's true." I agreed.

"And for him to be a vampire, his eyes would glow red." Someone pointed out. "His eyes glow yellow, since he is a khajiit."

"That's true too." I said.

"Look, captain," another came over and put a hand on my shoulder. "We know you think he's suspicious. Heck, most of US know he's a shady character. We trust him because when you look past all the dark shades and creepy voices, he's a good guy. If you weren't concerned so much of figuring him out, you'd see who he really is."

I sat there for a moment. It did seem like the first impression I was putting on Bob-shadow was trying to turn him into something bad. But he still seemed like something a master shouldn't have. But at that moment, I began thinking. He was being nice like everybody else. If he was an Imperial, or an Elf, would I be feeling the same way? It seemed not.

"You're right." I said. "But now I want to repay him. I feel like I've put him through too much already."

"Well did he not want an escort or help for his things in Skingrad?" someone asked.

"He said no, unless he said otherwise." I responded.

"Did he specifically say no to THIS time?" someone smiled and said.

I paused for a moment. I laughed to myself a little and looked back up. Everybody was smiling, waiting for my next move.

"No, I guess he didn't!" I laughed. "Men, take care of the castle! I'll be back!" The men cheered and I ran to go catch up with Bob. He couldn't have gotten too far, so I ran into the courtyard and jumped on a horse.

The horse bucked for a second, but I got him calmed. I ordered the men to open the gate, and they did. I ran the horse out and began running him down the Black Road.

I found my way to the stables outside of Chorrol. I saw a black horse with red eyes looking around. I expected that to be the horse of Bob-shadow, and as soon as I guessed that, that's who came from the stables and jumped on the horse crying 'YAH, SHADOWMERE!'

I raced to catch up with him on my horse, working him to death to try and catch up to him. I yelled at him from however far back I was.

"Bob-shadow! Bob-shadow!" I yelled. Thankfully, he turned around and saw me. He stopped his horse immediately, and waited for me. I was thinking he would greet me with an angry face, for not listening to him, but he had a casual expression.

"I thought you weren't coming." He said.

"I decided to help you on the first batch." I gasped.

"Fair enough," he smiled and laughed. It's not that far from here. Just follow me. He rushed at a slightly lower rate, and I was able to keep up. We rode off as the sun began to set.

We finally made it to Skingrad. I'd never actually been to many places besides Battlehorn. Sure, I'd been to Chorrol several times before, and even Bruma on one occasion, but never anything further away. We approached in from the east gate, and we walked inside.

"It's this house right here." Bob said, pointing to what was a very close-by house. "Rosethorn Hall. Home, sweet- ehm…eheh, what USED to be home sweet home."

We walked a short distance through the now dark streets and walked inside. The place was huge. 3 Floors it had to be. Plus a basement! This guy must have been living a life of luxury before he found Battlehorn. It was nice for a house, but I suppose an entire castle is more impressive.

"Good evening, milord," a Nord woman's voice said from a darkness of where I couldn't see. "And who's this?"

"Eyja," Bob-shadow said. "This is Sir Athon. He's our guest this evening."

A woman stepped from the shadows of the next room in a red, silk and bowed in front of me.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mister Athon." She said.

"A pleasure to you too." I said back.

"Now, Mister Athon. As you can see, there is A LOT of things I have to move. I left a lot of my personal belongings back at the castle, but there are still many piles of things here!"

"I see." I sighed. I couldn't see much, but a big house meant a lot of things.

"CAN you see, Athon?" Bob asked. "Eyja, light the fireplace. Give this place some life!"

"Right away, milord." Eyja said and walked away. We waited at the entrance for a few moments, and the fireplace lit. It was now easy to see around. We were in what was a small hallway, and there was a dining room to our left, and a room with stairs to our right. The basement door was at the end of the passage to the right, next to the fireplace.

"So, Athon, about the castle-." Bob began.

"If I may sir," Eyja said, approaching him. "What is this castle? Is something happening?"

"I probably should have told you. My apologies," Bob said. "I have become the master of Battlehorn Castle, west of Chorrol. The men there have welcomed me there to their home, and so I have decided to move in and make THAT my home."

"Oh, I see," Eyja said, looking at the ground. "Am I to go with you?"

Bob-shadow looked down for a moment and looked back up to her and put his hands on her shoulders. He looked down again for a moment and spoke to her.

"Listen," he began. "I'm going to have several more servants at the castle. You won't be coming with us. I know it's going to be hard, considering I thought this would be my final home and all."

"Yes, so I'll be moving back to Colovian Traders with Gunder then?" she said.

"Heavens no," Bob said, looking back up at her. "I thought about this on the way down here, and I've decided. I'm giving you your freedom as my servant, and giving you Rosethorn Hall."

Eyja gasped and looked up, tears in her eyes. She hesitated for a moment and put her hand over her mouth. Then in another instant, she hugged Bob and cried. I didn't want to interfere, so I stayed silent and waited.

"Thank you master!" Eyja cried. "You don't know how long I've been working for others! And now to be free and live in such a beautiful home! It's all too much! Thank you! Thank you!"

"Really, it's alright." Bob said. They sat there like that for a moment, and Eyja finally backed away. She bowed for Bob-shadow once more and went to the basement. Then we sat in silence for a moment, and Bob finally looked at me.

"Sorry about that," he said. "She's never this emotional."

"N-no problem at all, sir!" I said standing at attention.

"Very well," Bob said. "I think I'd like to start with all the clothing items. All my robes, shirts, pants, and I never wear most of them!" he began laughing, and then showed me the way. "This was Mister Athon."

We walked into the room with stairs, and on the desks to the right I saw more strange armor and weapons, and a display case with 2 similar swords with a slight difference. But the strangest thing I saw was a desk in the darkest corner. It had an hourglass on it, and it was glowing orange and letting off a strange noise. A low toned humming of some sort.

We walked up the stairs, and we walked onto a floor with the first partially normal thing I had found; a bookshelf, filled with books.

"You must be quite the reader, Mister Shadow." I said. Books brimmed the shelves, along with vases and pottery.

"Well," Bob began slowly. "It's not as it seems. The only books I'm reading now are the 2920 series, and…" he glanced over at a small table which had a planter, a silver goblet and pitcher, and a small book. I looked at him waiting for a title, but he just laughed to himself a little and we walked on. I could see the title because I didn't want to intrude.

We walked onto more stairs and through a door. Through that door was what I knew was his personal quarters. To my surprise, everything looked normal. Sure, foreign things here and there, but normal. We walked over next to his bed to a cupboard filled with all sorts of clothes.

"So, we're moving all these. I'd like to in one trip, but I still don't know. Let me get what I can." Bob-shadow said. He picked up what looked like ¾ of the clothes. Then he heaved over and looked at me. "Could you get that last little bit?"

"Of course, sir." I said. I picked up several black robes, shirts, and then I came across something I'd never seen. It looked like black robes, but they were decked with some sort of shiny, reflective decoration around the chest. He must have left at least 16 of those costumes for me to carry.

"One of my favorite outfits, Sir Athon." Bob said. "Be extra careful with those."

"Yes, sir," I began. "But if I may, what are they?"

"Robes from the Priests of Order." He said. "Sheogorath was having trouble with an invader in his realm. Jyggalag. Him and his Knights of Order invaded his realm, and I was to stop them. Those knights were led by Priests of Order, and that's what they wore."

"Interesting. You'll have to tell us all this story of your trip to Sheogorath's realm." I said.

"It does have a rather unique twist ending." He said and began laughing slightly. That soon became a long, maniacal laugh, which began to scare me a little.

"But now's not the time for stories. Let's-." he looked outside. "It has to be midnight or one in the morning by now. We'll stay here the night. He set his pack down, with all the clothes in it, as did I. "You look tired, Sir Athon."

"Yes, sir." I said. "I can't really lie about that."

"A good trip to the Two Sister's Lodge always gets ME tired." He said and laughed. "But it's also a good place to rest. I think I'll get a little of both this evening. Let's go to the lodge then."

"Yes, sir." I said. "Are we staying the night?"

"I don't see why not." He said. "And let me cover the charges. I've got more money then I should."

"SIR I-!" I began, but he glared at me, and I stopped. He pulled several gold bags from his pockets, each containing thousands of septims. I couldn't believe it! He was some millionaire!

"I'm serious." He said. "Too rich." He grabbed all the gold and we set off.

A quick stroll through the city, and we approached the Two Sisters Lodge. A smile went across my master's face, and we stepped inside. Everyone was busy drinking and gossiping, and we walked down the stairs to the bar. We sat down, and Bob looked at the bartender.

"I'll have the usual. Get one for my friend here too." He said.

"Coming right up, Bob." She said. She brought us some drinks, and we drank for a while. Bob was smart though, and ordered each of us a room BEFORE he drank.

Somehow, it didn't look like an hour later, I found myself on the other side of the building, I looked, and Bob-shadow was still at the bar, surrounded by Khajiit and Imperial women. They were trying to seduce him is what it looked like, so I didn't want to interfere.

"I'd stay away from that poor fellow." A Redguard voice next to me said. I looked at him, and he was sitting back in a chair.

"Why's that?" I was able to say I was so drunk.

"Those women," he began. "I've heard rumors that they seduce men in a bar, get them a room, and rob them blind."

I turned to look at Bob-shadow, being scratched behind the ears by one of them, and enjoying it. I was wondering if he'd fall for it.

"I don't think he's the type that falls for women easily." I said.

"Bob-shadow?" the Redguard said. "HAHAHAHAHAH! He needs a woman every time he comes down to this bar! He's in trouble if you ask me! He's doomed for sure! HAHAHAH!"

A terrible look came across my face when I saw the girls walking away upstairs with my master and winking to each other. I had to stop them from robbing him, or whatever they planned on doing to him.


	3. Chapter 3: The Passing

Battlehorn Castle

The Adventures of Bob-shadow

Chapter 3: The Passing

From the view point of: Castellan Athon

Still a little sober, I stood up to follow the ladies taking my master away, but I quickly fell right back over, and the Redguard behind me laughed again. I regained a little more consciousness, and made it to the stairs. I looked up, and I saw a scarlet dress turn the corner to the next flight of stairs. I attempted to walk up the stairs, and didn't do to badly for a drunken man. I made it up, and stumbled to the next flight of stairs. I was right behind them! I tried to yell for Bob-shadow but I could only murmur which didn't attract any attention.

"Bahbbuhmumshaaa…" I tried to yell for him. I turned the corner as they did, and they were half-way up the stairs. I tried to run and charge them for one final leap to get their attention. I dashed up only a few stairs before falling down and going unconscious again. The last thing I remember seeing was the ladies shutting the door, and I couldn't save him…

I woke up at 6 in the morning. I opened my eyes wide because I remembered why I was lying there. I looked around trying to see where he was, I didn't see him anywhere in the main bar, I rushed around and remembered the women taking him to the third floor.

"Master!" I screamed and remembered. I ran toward the door, finally filled with consciousness and in full control of my body again. I blasted the door open and looked at the room we were told to have for the night. I drew my sword and prepared to kill those evil hags that stole my master from me. I yelled again, "Master! I'll save you!" I kicked the door open, splintering the sides and saw what was left of an onslaught….

"Ah, Athon, there you are…" Bob-shadow said is a dark tone. He turned half-way so I only saw one of his glowing eyes staring at me. He turned back to the scene.

The place was destroyed. Bodies everywhere, corpses and disembodied parts lying around, and so much blood. The very stench gloomed the air, I almost chocked it was so think of an aroma. Picture frames, jugs, the bed sheets, either destroyed or covered in pools of blood.

"It's polite to knock," he continued. "I apologize though; I haven't had time to clean up this place."

"S-sir?" I shuddered. "You…killed all those women yourself?" I was amazed. I know this guy single handedly took down all of those marauders outside Battlehorn, but he's proved himself again to be quite the talented swordsman.

"Well of course," he turned to me completely now, with his foreign sword also covered in blood to match the scene. "Did you expect Akatosh to swoop down and kill these wenches?"

"At this point sir, I don't know what to believe about you." I said. "For all I know, you ARE Akatosh." He sheathed his sword and chuckled a little, so I was in a lighter mood. I felt safer thinking he wasn't going to kill me or anything.

"Come Athon," he said waving his hand and walking toward the door. "Let's grab those packs and be on our way." He walked toward the door, with several bloodstains on him, but still walking as casually as ever.

We walked out of the Two Sisters lodge; Bob-shadow said the local guards will take notice and no one will worry. He also mentioned he left 'his mark' so the guards know who killed the criminals. I felt like asking him what 'his mark' was, but I just wanted to feel safe at Battlehorn again, so I struggled to hurry us along.

We finally stepped inside Rosethorn Hall again, and quickly went upstairs to grab the several hundred pounds worth of all clothing. We walked into Bob-shadow's room, and saw our packs by the bed.

"Oh," we heard a woman's voice in surprise. "Bob-shadow, I didn't expect you and Sir Athon back so early…" Eyja looked embarrassed.

"I apologize for asking Eyja, now that you're not my servant, but what are you doing up here? I mean, I know I gave you the house, but that's AFTER I move all my belongings to Battlehorn."

"Oh, well then it is ME who should apologize then, Sir," she said. "I was claiming the deed, which you said was in this chest up here." She bowed respectfully and continued. "I shall leave if that's what you wish."

"You're so uptight, Eyja," Bob-shadow said. "That's completely alright. The castellan and I are leaving anyway." He glanced at me and I looked back. We both walked to our clothing filled packs and tried to get them on. After a minute we got them and Eyja had already left down-stairs. Bob-shadow, trying to look as serious as he could while trying to bundle 300 pounds of clothing lead the way. "Shall we?" he said with a puff of breath.

We walked down the stairs, which wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. We almost tripped a couple times, and we knocked a few things of their according shelves. I almost fell on top of Bob a few times myself. As we arrived at the front door, Eyja hurried to open it for us, and Bob-shadow thanked her. She waved us a good-bye and safe travels back as we walked away.

"Thankfully we can put these packs on our horses and get rid of this weight." Bob-shadow said. "I would keel over before hiking this load all the way to Chorrol."

We approached the eastern gate of Skingrad and the guard looked at us, puzzled for a moment. He shrugged and let it go. He looked at the east gate and back at us.

"Going this way, fellas?" he asked. I had heard about the guards of each city, but not much about the Skingrad guards. I've heard they were one of the most elite, not including the Imperial Legion of course. They were heavily trained and worked efficiently under a man named "Dion". This was maybe the first one I'd seen on his normal duty.

"Yes, actually," Bob said "If you can open that gate for us-." And he cut off. The guard quickly grabbed the handle and opened the large metal door. He smiled and nodded to us as Bob-shadow thanked him. "Thank you, you're a good man."

We got to our horses and finally let go of all the weight dragging us down. Our horses didn't seem to like it, but it didn't bother me. Maybe if horses could tell me, 'Could you please get this pack off of me?' I would've been a little concerned.

We mounted up and off we began, back to Battlehorn Castle, and back to my warm bed.

"No good scum…" I heard Bob mutter under his breath. "Of all the lousy people in this world and they have to be the worst. Hate 'em…" and he went on with other things. I finally stopped him.

"Who exactly are you referring to, master," I bellowed rather loud. "If you don't mind my asking?"

"Oh, the Skingrad guards," he said loud enough for me to hear him. "I can't stand them. They're the most stuck up low lives to ever show up in the Colovian Highlands. I'd prefer the criminals if you ask me."

"They seemed rather nice when we were leaving the city, milord." I said. Bob glanced at me for a brief moment, but went back to focusing ahead of him. It might not have been a smart choice of words, so I tried again. "So what did they do that was so bad?"

"Just the way they act around the usual townsfolk," he continued. "They're nice to foreigners to the city, so they'll get a nice publicity. But the townsfolk are treated like trash. They really could care less about the people around there."

"What about Dion?" Was the last thing I was able to say for the next ten minutes before my master's rant.

"Oh! Hah! He's the worst of them all!" He started; I was hoping that was all he'd say. "He's got the nerve! He's falsely accused me for everything in the book! Not paying taxes, theft, murder, the list goes on. He once threw a crumpled document at me when I was walking one day, then approached me and charged me for littering!"

I sat there, wondering when he would stop. I was going to speak up, but he seemed far too angry to listen to my reasoning.

"Sure, the gold is no matter to me; they could make littering 400 gold and it would be pocket change for me; but what I hate is he thinks he can get away with it! And with all I've done for this country AND THAT TOWN!" he finally settled down and took a long sigh. "I'm sorry Athon; I'm ranting like an idiot aren't I?"

I continued with only silence as a response. There were no grounds for me to argue with him at this moment, so I just remained silent until I was forced into a question or something of the sort.

"The last thing I have to say about him though," he said a few moments later. "I want to take care of him once and for all before I completely move out of that town."

It looked about 3 o' clock in the afternoon. We finally reached the North Country Stables outside of Chorrol. Bob-shadow dismounted from his horse and kept the pack on her. As I've said before, Chorrol is mainly the only major town I've ever been to, but it's a wonderful place. The guards are friendly and the people are nice. Still, I'd seen it all before, so it was no surprise to me.

"We'll that was a nice run wouldn't you say, mister Athon?" Bob-shadow said. He was right, we've made great time. We rushed through the Gold Road in a little over 2 hours. The Black Road wasn't much different. And no stops along the way is a nice help too.

"I agree," I replied. "Are we stopping for something?"

"I don't know about you, mister Athon and your eating habits," he said. "But I haven't eaten all day, and I'm starving." He held his stomach and it growled at him. Mine did the same. We never stayed long enough for breakfast, and horse riding does wear on a guy.

"So are we going to 'The Oak and Crosier' then?" I asked.

"Oh, no," he replied. "The man inside the stables knows me like a brother. We're pretty close, and I'm sure he can give us a quick loaf of bread or something. He just needs a little gold too." He smiled and walked toward the stables. "I'll be back shortly."

He then walked inside and closed the door behind him. I sat outside, still hungry and waiting for a quick bite to eat. I tried to look around at the surroundings, but there wasn't much. A few trees and bushes, but nothing out of the ordinary. Then I saw a woman by the gates, and she was crying.

I recognized her, too; Ariela Doran. She was a very normal woman, but she never seemed to ever leave her house. She always lived with her husband Jirolin. They were your average people, so I wouldn't know why she was crying unless something happened to Jirolin. Before I thought about it, I heard a door slam near me, and my head quickly turned to the stables.

Bob-shadow came out of the stables with no food, and kind of sulking. I was very puzzled at this point; he could persuade an enemy to betray an army, but he couldn't persuade his so-called 'brother' into bartering for a little food? He walked over and just stood near me silently. Not looking up at me, but behind me as if I wasn't even there.

"Well," he began and paused before going on. "This is a little embarrassing. It turns out my memory isn't what it used to be." He looked up a little higher, as if casually trying to talk to me. "This isn't the place I was thinking of. I don't even know that man inside. He just threw me out for not buying a horse…"

"Oh, I see. So," I began and went into a joking tone. "Are we going to 'The Oak and Crosier' then?" I laughed a little after that, and he joined in. He nodded his head.

"Yes," he said smiling. "Show me into town, my good man." I dismounted and followed him. We began to walk toward the gate, and we began to pass Ariela. Bob paid almost no attention, and I was watching her from the corner of my eye. As soon as we were about to reach the gate, she quickly looked up and noticed us and rushed at us and grabbed me tightly.

"Sir Athon!" she cried. "You have to help me! Please!" Bob-shadow turned around and noticed her scene she caused. He looked impatiently at me, and then tapped his foot and crossed his arms.

"Who's this, mister Athon?" he asked. "A friend of yours?" He sounded more curious than angry however. She cried a little longer, so I had to introduce her myself.

"Milord, this is Ariela Doran," I said. "She's a civilian here at Chorrol. I've met her once before, and her husband on a few occasions." After I said that, it seemed like she cried even louder. Thankfully nobody was around to stare or anything like that, but I still seemed awkward.

"Please, Athon!" she cried again. "They took him!" I looked up at Bob-shadow and he only stood and observed. I put my hands on Ariela and pulled her off me and looked at her.

"Who?" I asked. "What's going on?"

"It's my husband," she muttered through tears. "The guard took my husband! He's rotting in the dungeons as we speak!" She cried again as we accessed the information.

"Did he do anything?" I asked to try and keep her from crying even more.

"That's just it!" She lifted her head again. "He didn't do anything! The one day he goes out to the market, the guards accuse him of theft! My husband wouldn't steal anything! But the guards think it would be a perfect crime for him! Please help him!"

"More corrupt guards," Bob said with a snarl. "I've had enough of the guard today."

It does seem like the perfect crime though. Ariela and Jirolin never leave their house often, so if they stole something, they would seem as low suspects. However, if they were caught, that would make them prime suspects. A perfect accusation. But did Jirolin not steal anything?

"We're sorry miss," Bob-shadow said. "That sounds like a tragic tale, but we don't have time. Let's go Athon." I was shocked as he turned around and began walking toward the gates again. Ariela looked like she tried to say something back, but her voice never made a sound.

"WHAT?" I replied. "Are you crazy? She needs help! We have the-." And I was cut off.

"DO AS I SAY!" Bob-shadow barked at me and walked on. I had no choice but to leave Ariela with a good-bye and follow him. We opened the gates and brushed Ariela off like she was a simple fly. I could hear her cry even after we closed the gates behind us.

Bob-shadow and I didn't speak again 'till we got to the Oak and Crosier. The Oak and Crosier usually has such a bright atmosphere, but it didn't feel as great. I was afraid based on my previous actions of disobeying someone who could easily kill me in an instant.

We stepped inside and took a seat at the bar. We were greeted by a khajiit; Talasma, who runs the inn. She smiled and asked us what we'd have. Bob-shadow ordered a small fish while I ordered a large ham with carrots and garlic. She walked away, preparing our meals, and someone bumped into me. I turned around to see one of the sleaziest men in Chorrol; Fathis Ules.

"I keep hoping not to see you here, housecat," he said. "But just like one of your filthy diseases you khajiit spread, you just keep coming back."

Fathis Ules. A dunmer creep who hangs around the shady characters and always has someone to talk to in private at the inn. Most people think he's apart of the Thieves Guild, and others say he sells skooma or other drugs of the sort. Nobody really knows just what he is, but they don't like it.

"Leave me be Fathis," Bob said. "I don't feel like explaining to the guard how I had to slay you for running your mouth."

"You threaten me all the time, khajiit," he replied. "But you never do a thing. You wouldn't kill me if I spit on your shoes and burnt your house down."

"I'd kill you know if your still standing here in 30 seconds." He said.

"Heh," Fathis replied. "Worthless trash. My services would never be for such as you." He walked away and laughed. Surely enough he sat down at a dark table with an argonian and began chatting away.

Our meals arrived and we began to eat. My ham was so delicately sitting on my plate it was exquisite. In fact, everything on my plate looked extravagant. It steamed a fresh aroma into the air. Bob-shadow however quickly ate his fish as if in a huge hurry, and slammed a few septims on the table the moment he finished.

"Stay here." Bob-shadow said and walked away. He looked angry at something, or like he was preparing for a fight. I was afraid he was going to do something like grab Ules by the throat and kill him, but he walked toward the door and left all-together. What was he up to?

Still questioned, I sat and continued to eat my meal. I slowly came back to the happy and joyful atmosphere of the Oak and Crosier. People were laughing and enjoying their food, and a bright sense filled the room.

Several minutes later I heard the door open and close behind me. I turned to see if it was Bob-shadow, but nobody had entered. With a closer inspection, I also noticed nobody was missing from the people inside to begin with, as if the door opened and closed itself. I figured it was the wind and turned back to my plate. But I heard a voice from directly next to my ear before I took my next bite.

"Athon…" it said. "Meet me behind the chapel, and make it quick." It was a very low, gloomy, and dark voice. It had a beast-like rasp, so I could make a pretty educated guess it was Bob-shadow. I couldn't move though. I looked around, but he wasn't there. Was he invisible? Was it my imagination?

"Where are you?" I was able to ask.

"I'm invisible," he replied. "Now hurry up. We're going to rescue Ariela's husband."


End file.
